Traversing the Traverse

**Date Started:** August 27th, 2022
 **Date Completed**: TBA
**Previous Role-Play** N/A
**Next Role-Play:** TBA
**Users Involved:** User:Blackdagger01 & User:HoloArc
**Setting:** The Traverse
**Characters Involved:** Esmeralda Drake.

## In the Company of Foes

A small fleet of ships under the service of nations unified under the desire to explore and find new horizons and to move past old wounds and crimes. However, such endeavors would rarely proceed without challenges and obstacles. The captains had done their best to run a tight ship despite the arguments of the crewmates. Archeologists and warriors from every culture who had an interest in this mission. And many of them had several things to argue and fight over, whether mountain or molehill. Yet again is an argument breaking loose on the ship Exodus. The adventurous citizens of Doma'Khane were unfortunate enough to stumble across a drunken man of Khalahai who had decided he had some choice words for the passerbys.

'Murderers', 'defilers', 'monsters' were words thrown a bit haphazardly around by both parties. Within short had both groups ended up in a struggle to overwhelm the other. The men and women of Khalahai were on the winning end until the rest of the crew decided to get in between and threaten to have the aggressors thrown off the boat. In the aftermath of such a fight it was now up to the ship's medic, **Esmeralda**, to ensure that no one died prematurely to needless conflict and self inflicted injuries.

Tending to the people of Doma'Khane stung in her heart. The memories of old and tales of what had transpired in that land, together with the emotional turmoil that had not yet dissolved, she had to swallow bile at every second the people of Doma looked down on her for her race or for talking ill of her home. Had they been in Khalahai she might have poisoned them instead, but this was her mission and work now. And no matter how much it hurt, she would fulfill her duties to all. Pating the Gurza on the back, he walked away and out as the Doctor called out, "Next!"

**Anaya** was the next to step up, she was a large Vart'hya with clear resemblings of a wolf. The ears, the tail, the claws and teeth, all of it boar a great deal of resemblance to her mother though a what separated the two most was that of Anaya's large size as she towered above the average human to nearly the size of a full grown Hinoan Oni at about eight feet in height. Blood drenched her hands though it was clear to any who'd witnessed the fight that it was not her own. No, she'd only sustained a handful of small defensive cuts on her arms though she was forced to come in for a checkup all the same given her status as the daughter of highly regarded Nobleman. She looked at the green-horned woman, staring down at her but she held no contempt in her eyes but rather an almost completely uncaring void in her entire expression. She sat down in the chair as she'd been told by the man who had directed her here, her black suit wore the emblem of Doma'khane's flag sown into its breast to help distinguish the nations from one another at a glance. A poor decision the brass would likely never admit to as such things led to the exact sort of fight that took place mere minutes ago. To determine your enemy from a glance, and in Anaya's eyes she could see the "doctors" alliance worn clear as day.

"I must admit, I did not know that Khalahai had doctors. I had heard they ate their injured, as the weak constituted nothing but food." The woman remarked with no clear malice in her voice but still giving off a small smirk as she said it.

"Weak and injured is not the same." Esmeralda corrected. "Father used to tell me that Khalahai can ill afford to lose men to infections and fever coughs." Esmeralda stated, but chose to ignore to mention anything about eating people. It all felt like such an unnecessary statement to make. Besides, it wouldn't necessarily be entirely untrue. Esmeralda had a bit more of a grudge in her core, but she did her best to make no mention or note of it. The green vart'hya took a sterilized swab and some alcohol to rub away the blood. Even if she quickly realized it was not her own, it still made it easier to remove it. "You were also part of the scuffle then? Must have been fierce on them. What did you take out?" She asked, trying to make small talk regardless of how it made her feel. As the medic of the ship she couldn't afford to make enemies on it.

Anaya shivered at the cold tingling sensation caused the the alcohol wipe touching against her arm, "Indeed though I wasn't there when it initially started. Did a number on a Gurza who was choking a friend of mine. No mortal wound, obviously. It wouldn't look well upon us if we started outright killing each other on this ship. We're in the traverse, last thing we should have to be worry about is if our bunkmates will slit our throats in our sleep. The key word there is *should*, fact of the matter is there's no greater trust on this ship than that of the nations we hail from. Those who have allied with one another get along just fine and those whose nations are enemies do not. Especially between the likes of your people and mine, none have forgotten the campaign your father lead into our nation nor his involvement in the death of our God." Anaya spoke matter of factly, after all, not all of what she had to say was opinion. Many of her words were based in fact. Their people hated one another, almost to the point you'd start to believe they were born hating one another.

"And yet here you are, wiping the blood of your friends from my hands. It's intriguing I must say."

"Nor have we forgotten how you murdered my sister and burnt her corpse without any rituals of farewell." Esmeralda replied, feeling the bile rising in her throat. Lizette and her had rarely seen eye to eye in most matters. She was a zealot and woman of faith and struggles. Esmeralda's a woman of science and medicine. But regardless, they were sisters. They had played together as kids. They had loved each other despite their vastly different approaches and ideologies. Lizette's glass cross hung on her wall, a token to remember her fallen sibling.

"As for the treatments... I am a doctor. If you can't trust a medic to do her job, then who can you trust?" She explained her standpoint as she took out some light salves which she began to apply to her arms. This towering woman was an intimidating sight, she would admit, but she still felt secure about things. So far. She was not sure if she had magic or not, but the physique alone implied she could beat her ass in a second if she wanted to. "All the same, while I think it was a mistake to brand the nationality of every crew member, one can hope it might improve relations between the tense in the times to come. New world, new circumstances and all... Why did you sign up for this expedition? Adventure? Curiosity? Being part of history?"

"We were all manipulated by the same woman, the one who sought to drown the world in sleep. Though in spite of our shared failure I cannot help but feel that one lost more than the other." Anaya responded to her comment about losing her sister. Though Anaya had not known that she and that woman were related until now, she showed no greater sympathy for her just because of it. They had all lost things during the war, but Anaya felt the loss of a God was quite a bit heavier than that of a sibling. At least when it came to the collective, understanding the feeling of greater loss on an individual level but they were not talking of personal experience, only the horrors their people have caused as a collective.

"As for why I am here, I'm here as an archaeologist. I'd like to be one of the first to study whatever lies within the traverse now that we have the means to 'traverse' it. What of you? I know the team needed medics all the same but I doubt there's a cure for troll pox just sitting out there somewhere waiting for you to find it."

"Maybe not. But maybe there are ways to help prevent it or treat it. Besides, I am not just a medic. I am a botanist. Took after a few traits from my other mother. Understanding plantlife and other such things can always provide new insight we couldn't comprehend before. Besides medicine there are ways to develop toxins and acids with new discoveries. Acids to help with artificing and toxins that could numb pains and ease people into a peaceful sleep when nothing else can be done. Mother Hotaru has even discovered a simpler way to kill tumors and diseases with carefully applied poisons." Esmeralda explained, deciding to move past the notion of who lost more than the other.

Picking up a pair of tweezers and a scraper, she moved up to one of the woman's wounds on her arm. The process would sting quite a bit more than everything else she has done up 'till this point, but it was important. There was dirt and debris inside the bleeding wound which could result in everything from blood poisoning and infections if left alone. Barely noticable, but her keen eyes after years of study under mother Hotaru had taught her to be very attentive. "Simple reasons enough I suppose. Anything in particular that you seek to find?"

She winched a bit when the alcohol made its way into her wounds, as tough as she appeared it seemed the woman did not like the stinging feeling of the disinfectant liquid but moving past it quickly she regained her composure and responded to the green woman before her. "An admirable goal I suppose. I myself would like to learn to origin of the Gods. When your Father helped that woman take Godhood only to cut her down afterward the balance of the world was thrown off. The death of a God without a heir to replace them may very well bring an end to our world. I would seek a way to stop that, perhaps even a way to create artificial Gods. Not petty people who would use the power to kill and enslave but perhaps a machine, no different than the way a furnace contains a fire, could hold the power of a God and end the constant battle for ones place above others." She explained her thinking to the woman, not expecting her to understand her goals being from the nation where such evils are common place and encouraged.

"There are some who would not take well to such an idea. Namely the Gods themselves, your father and the ally you've found in Hino's fire Goddess would most definitely not take well to such an idea. But I seek it all the same."

"A noble goal. Trying to find an alternative for the worst case scenarios. Only issue is that such evils are rampant in the world all the same, gods or no gods. A programmed machine that will compensate could also be abused I think. Have the one wrong person program that machine into doing a thing that hurts someone out there and it will be cold and relentless about it." Esmeralda explained her point of view as she got the last of the debris out while trying to ignore the implications of who that remark might be targeted against. The wound was now bleeding quite a bit from the tissue that got harmed and exposed. Applying the necessary salves and wrapping it with bandages to keep infections out of it as it heals.

"Regardless, an interesting thesis. Let me know if you discover the answer to such a device out there." She said casually, not really particularly interested in the prospects of meeting this woman again, but it was important to build relations and trust among the crewmates and herself. "That should wrap up the treatment. Just don't scratch the bandage even if it starts itching. That is the salve doing its job." She said, using a wet towel to rub off blood and salves. "If anything for some reason were to reek or ache too much, contact me again and I'll take a look at it."

Anaya nodded her head as she stood up from the seat, towering over the woman all the more now that she stood at her full height. "Thank you," She spoke curtly, not bothering to add more or promise to share her findings as she too knew this interaction was little more than small talk as they were both forced to sit together for that short period of time. With her thanks given, she walked off and out of the room.

"Was she the last one?" A young man no older than Esmeralda herself spoke out from behind the woman, should she turn she would see the familiar black hair and raspberry eyes of Kazuya leaning against the far wall of the infirmary, two cotton balls shoved up his nose showing clear signs of having been used to stop the bleeding from his nose. A slight bruise on his face being the clear injury that caused that bleeding. He noticed Esmeralda looking at the injury and turned his face away so she couldn't see it. "Don't worry about it, Ezzy. It's not even a scratch. Just got caught up in the chaos is all." He said, shooting her a half-smile to let her know that he was alright.

"Well, since you are trying to act tough about it I feel more inclined to take a look." She said with a joking tone, walking up to him and giving his nose a squeeze to see if he would flinch. A bit of a cringe but not enough to make her assume it was broken or hurt in any substantial way. "I guess it was nothing." She said with a short giggle. "Yes, since no one else is entering, I can only assume she was the last." She said with a pleased sigh. "I'm sure they had some 'logical' reason to brand us by nation, but it all seems so dumb right now... Oh well, shouldn't be long before we make landfall now. Should keep everyone occupied enough to not bust lips left and right. One can hope at least. They only brought so many supplies with us."

Kazuya looked down at his own chest, seeing the emblem of his nation of Hino plastered onto the front of his uniform as Ezzy spoke of how they'd all been 'branded'. He partly agreed but also understood they'd likely done so for a variety of reasons, some reasons a bit darker than he'd like to bring up in front of one of the people tasked with keeping them all alive. So instead he let out a quiet, awkward chuckle before responding to her hopes that the fighting was done. "Like you said, one can hope. It's crazy to think that we've already been out to sea for nearly a month. Sure, we've been avoiding storms and rough waters, had a few false alarms about sea monsters, but to think it took us this long?" He let out a sigh before shrugging his shoulders, following her back to her station and beginning to help her clean up.

"Once we make landfall in this weird as place you be sure to stay safe. No wandering off chasing flowers now, Ezzy. It's my job to keep you nerds safe during this little field trip." He teased her with a soft smile that looked so odd on his beat up face, purposely bumping her elbow with his own. "You ever wonder what your dad and your moms are thinking? With everything that's happened... I'm sure they're worried." His tone became a bit more serious, solemn as he did his best to avoid mentioning her late sister, especially after how cruel the wolf girl had been about tearing at that old wound.

"They are confident in my abilities. They know that out of all my siblings, I am the most capable of making the best out of this opportunity... But yes." She trailed off, failing to act tough. Looking to the cross on her wall, a beautiful work of craftmanship. She had trained with how to use it in the past. She was far from as efficient with it as Lizette had been, but she was starting to become proficient with the 'weapon'. More an art piece than a weapon in anyone elses hands than her late sister's. Stained glass which had always returned into a new fractal scheme and coloration every time Lizette struck with it.

"I'm sure they are very worried. I... I am afraid to disappointing them. Or to die somewhere out here and perhaps being left behind in an umarked grave and absent proper ritual rites... But I can't let Lizette having been the only one to make something out of herself. The only one to have carried her weight and more to the family and Khanite... I suppose I do this as well to honor her." She said as she finished up the cleaning and proceeded out of the room. With Kazuya behind her, she locked the door and continued down the halls. "Keep her memory alive... But hey, I'm sure I will live. I have my trusty meatshield with me after all." She said with a jab to his ribs, trying desperately to snap out of her melancholy.

Taking the punch he raised a hand to her head and gave her forehead a hefty flick in return, "You're damn right. Nothings going to happen to you out here, not as long as I'm around. But more importantly, don't go comparing yourself to your sister. You're your own person, Ezzy. Whatever you accomplish will be your own thing. Keep that in mind." He responded to her with a soft smile on her face up a serious look in his eyes.

Rubbing the spot he flicked, she continued onward. "I don't mean to compare us. I just want do to something more efficient and beneficial to my family. Everything I have done so far is something my mom Hotaru could also have done, and more efficiently to boot. I need to make my own mark all the same." She spoke, trying to still keep a chipper tone. "I must believe that I can find my own revolution in this foreign land. Maybe I can device a new elixir to heal. Maybe I can find some new antidotes. Maybe I'll become a god. Who knows!" She joked.

Looking out, through the fog Kazuya could see the silhouette of the island they were approaching, large, jagged mountains seemed to jut up toward the sky in every direction. Looking more like the spikes on the back of a large beast than any natural formation. But with all that they had seen and heard from the traverse, nothing was impossible in these waters. Turning his attention back to Esmeralda, he let out a quiet sigh. "You're always aimming for the moon, Ezzy, It's admirable, sure. But it also means you've always got your head in the clouds. If it turns out to just be some dumb rock in the middle of this minefield of an ocean promise me you won't get all disappointed about it all, 'kay?"

The silhuette of the land in the distance brought an excitement and thrill to Esmeralda's being. "Yeah yeah, sure, come on! I want to see us getting closer!" SHe shouted, completely ignoring his words as she began to run for the top deck. She would not miss this historic moment by slouching. All but leaving Kazuya in the dust, she rushed up the steps, competing with other equally excited individuals of all walks of life who wanted a glimpse of this. Finding every edge and railing occupied, she jumped up and climbed up the mast a bit so she could get a proper view of it. With some aid of air catalysts did the spellcasters part the shroud of fog, revealing the land itself. Vast island that spanned far and wide. A new land ripe for discovery. Its intimidating appearance was certainly the image of uninviting and threatening, with spikes of mountains and other rock formations jutting out along the coastline. It almost appeared more as a colossal garrison than an island.

Some of the men felt a bit discouraged at the sight of it, but quite the opposite was true for Esmeralda. The excitement that swelled within her was palpable. "At last..." She whispered.

Anaya stood along the railing, staring out at the intemidating new land that stretched out before them. Lighting struck at the mountanious spikes, there was an electricity in the air that only seemed to grow as they got closer to the island, making her hair and fur alike begin to stand on end. The smell of metal wafted through the air covered partially by the salt of the seas. If nothing else the island was surely rich in all manner of metal and mineral, but that alone was not their mission and far from it was her own goals. What answers the island would hold, what questions it would raise. There was no telling, not until they found a place to dock.

Kazuya felt the static in the air, too far behind the others to get any sort of look at the island as heads taller and shorter than his own managed to block his view of the new land. He wasn't all that interested though, his hopes were tempered unlike many of the others. Looking around on the crowded deck he eventually looked up to see Ezzy with a look of awe and wonder on her face. Like a child seeing for the first time in its life, no, not just seeing but truly seeing. At that a smile couldn't help but appear on his face. Seeing her enjoying the view so much, he decided to let her be and return to the lower decks to prepare for the eventual expedition onto the island.

## A Step into the Unknown

The ship had followed the coast of the island for several miles before finding a good place for them to dock, a place where one of the many pillars of stone had fallen to create both a place for them to disembark but also a bridge that would allow them access up onto the main part of the island. The ship had been anchored just off the coast while many boats had started to bring supplies over to set up a base camp on the fallen rock. The many adventuerers who'd come a long way from their homes to visit these new and unknown lands now stood upon its shores, the clouds above them swirled and the constant crackle of lightning could be heard in the distance and yet they all stood firm in the face of it, awaiting news on how they would proceed.

The Captain of the expedition steps off of the Exodus, his walk a stride of authority and confidence. His dark blue-ish black hair flowing in the wind as he comes to ground. "Shape up a perimiter around our grounds. Dig trenches for the encampments. Esmeralda! Take a squad of soldiers and scout ahead. I want to know what is out there." Hotoke commanded. "I have them set up for you at the edge of camp. Keep each other alive." He said with a slightly softer tone.

Esmeralda nods and heads out. The cross in hand, she packs with her all the equipment she needs and makes her way to the edge. Several companies of soldiers and explorers have been arranged as Hotoke had said. She looked them over and thought it through. There appeared to be a benefit to each and every one of them. Some of them were more focused around archeological discoveries and others for hunting. But what she needed was those who understood the wild and scouting. She found a squad which fit into the description, and fortunately, Kazuya was part of it. She nodded at him to show she had noticed him and proceeded on to let them mobilize to the fields. Anaya was there too, standing taller than anyone else in the squad.

The soil was more akin to mud than solid ground, making the treck a bit difficult. The air was humid and heavy with fog. Not so much that the view was obscured, but it made breathing a bit harder too. Every once in a while did they come across vegetation that Esmeralda was quick to grab samples of. Even it it just appeared like crabgrass she knew that much could be discerned from the smallest changes of their nutrition and could give insight to what the land had to offer. Most of the wildlife appeared to be the same as well. Stags and birds and deers soaring and prancing the areas. But something was still off. These animals seemed ordinary, but it was a sense in the air that they were watched, or that there was wildlife hiding away from them that observed. Not out of fear. For the more battle hardened members of the squad, there was a sense of bloodlust in the air.

Though they'd never even officially met, both Kazuya and Anaya's eyes met at glance and with that look alone the both of them could tell that the other could feel it too. The odd feeling in the air, different from the static that had clung to them and everything else since they got close to the island. It was more the feeling of danger, a deep sense of dread you feel in your gut in knowing that danger was just around the corner. But none of them saw anything, not as their eyes scanned the landscape around them nor when they began to actively search the area near them for any signs of life. Yet all the same a bubbling pit could be felt in all their stomachs. "How do you want to Proceed, Miss Drake?" Kazuya called out, leaving the decision to press or head back to the woman.

Esmeralda looked between the gathering of twenty individuals, six of which were scientists and doctors, her among them. She nodded to Kazuya before she pressed forward, the man quick to walk alongside her, not intending to leave her bare to attacks. The troop came along soon after, not wanting to be left behind. "We did not come this far to turn away at the slightest hint of danger. Be on the lookout for the rumored ruins or anything of interest. Anything strange or new I want documented. But keep to the open fields. Better to have as much view of the area as possible."

"Yes Ma'am" The group said in unison, following in Esmeralda's footsteps as they continued on despite the feeling of danger in the air.

Anaya wondered if it was indeed simply the jitters of being in such an unsettling place as this but her mother had taught her to trust her gut and do so she had for her entire life. It had served her well in all manner of situations and so despite wanting to believe otherwise, she knew that something wrong was afoot here in these lands.

Kazuya walked beside Esmeralda at the front of the group, his gait and expression was seemed so casual, as though he wasn't aware of the feeling of danger that
permeated over the entire group. But they would be wrong, in fact, the young man was on full alert and every hair on his body stood straight out. He was ready for anything at any moment, but he couldn't show just how tense he felt. Doing so would only worry the others and so he remained calm, composed, like a leaf resting gently on the waters surface without causing a ripple.

But then it came, from the forest with a loud squeal did a massive beast break the treeline and charge straight toward them. A long flat nose and sharp pointed tusks, the creature was certainly some form of pig or boar but the rest of its body was something else entirely. Its body was covered in some sort of black substance, from the black were hundreds if not thousands of yellow worm-like creatures wiggling, weaving through its body as though it were just a hollow mass they could enter and exit as they pleased. Kazuya drew his sword but before he could move forward to strike, a woman he'd known to be from Lubbock stepped before him and before either could get out a word the squealing of the boar-like monster began to fade, a wail of pain and agony as it tripped over its own feet and slid to a stop before them. The worms still moving, still wiggling but the creature was clearly dead.

"What's the big deal?" Kazuya asked the white-haired woman, her piercing red eyes like nothing he'd ever seen before.

Esmeralda herself was quite curious and astounded by the event and what the woman had done. "Explain yourself." Esmeralda demanded, looking between the pale woman and the beast. The woman walked past the woman and kneeled next to the dead boar, cautiously inspecting the fallen creature. "It was dying, clear as day. Its charge was to be the one last hurrah before it fell. But for all its vigor, it wasn't enough. Did you not see how it slowed down and deterirated as it ran towards us?" She spoke as she put on some gloves, a dagger and two vials. Scraping some of the sludge into one and harvesting some of the worms into the other, despite their squirming protests.

"Whatever this is, it is not natural, ma'am." She said as she at last took the dagger to the side of the creature and gutted it. She almost retched at the sight before she called over Esmeralda. Cautiously did she approach, looking over the creature only to wish she hadn't. The intestines of the creature were non-existent, its heart maggot consumed and its bones like decayed branches. "This... This animal should already have been dead long ago." Esmeralda siad, bordering on vomiting.

"It should. And yet, it tried to fight until the end."

"What is your name?" Esmeralda asked.

"Sabina. Animal specialist. First tamer of the Diregheist." She said, awakening a memory in Esmeralda's mind. Diregheists are vicious creatures, but she had all the same heard of a woman who had managed to domesticate one. As it stood, she was grateful for the help and insight.

"I'll take those vials, Sabina." Esmeralda ordered, to which the pale woman handed them over without question. Tying them to her belt, she turned to the rest of the party. "Two hours give or take to return back to camp. I say we have found enough for now and this... creature must be reported on. Move out." She ordered. "Keep your eyes peeled... Sabina, think you can help us keep an eye out for more of them? Considering your expertise."

"Aye, ma'am." She spoke, taking point on the edge of the group, circling to either end of the formation as they headed back, with Esmeralda at the front.

Kazuya resheated his weapon, looking at the death infected creature with disgust on his face plain and clear. Not being able to stomach the sight of it any longer he turned away and made his way back to the front of the group, pushing his way through the curious scientists who though not going beyond staring, were curious about the vials that Ezzy had strapped to her waist. Kazuya, not caring much for the vials themselves and more about what sort of thing that could have been, made it back to walk beside Esmeralda.

"So, what'da you make of all this? If you had to give your best idea that is?" He asked her, not exactly what he wanted to say but it was better to leave the question vague to make sure any ideas or worries he had didn't infuluence her much more educated guesses. After all, despite the think charging at them from the treeline, he had his own sneaking suspicion that it hadn't been the boar that had made everyone's hairs stand on end. That there was still something out there even if he didn't know where it had gone.

"Whatever that was, it is... not of this world. My sister, after her little bargain... She was of... similar results." She spoke, remembering the tales and sights of her sister being stabbed in abdommen, heart and throat and still keeping up the fight until the bitter end. Many thought she was unkillable back in the day. Until she finally bled out. She was feared and respected and loved. Her dedication second to none. Shaking her head to focus her mind, she then looked back at him. "I think a beyonder might be at play here. Or at least have an effect on this land. I won't know for certain until I can learn more from these." She said, gesturing to the vials.

Kazuya nodded his head, knowing better than to press the issue but if her own suspicions were correct then they were getting themselves into a great deal more trouble than they were prepared for. So, instead of bothering to worry just yet, he simply let out a sigh and continued to follow.

*Two Hours Later*
Returning the the camp it was clear they were the first to return, catching the surprise of many of the base camp team as they watched them appear from over the hill. Once they'd reached the camp, the base camp leader approached, curious as to why they'd returned so soon and if they'd encountered any trouble along the way.

Stepping up to the garrison leader, Esmeralda saluted shortly. "Sir, I fear that it was an event born of necessity." She spoke as she held up the two vials, one with the sludge and the other with the maggots. Those hideous yellow worms still wriggled and squirmed inside of the glass container, not appearing to attempt escape, but rather just maintaining motion as if their lives depended on it. "We were attacked by a boar infested with these. Its whole body reeked of decay and upon further inspection it was evident that by all accounts, it should have been dead long before it fell."

"An undead boar?"

"Maybe. Perhaps. But ultimately it comes down to that I need to investigate these immediately. I've seen signs similar to this in the past. I need to ensure that it is not a lasting threat to us. To try and rule out if this is the exception or the rule of the matter. With your permission, sir, I would head to my lab to begin my studies immediately." She asked for her leave. After a few seconds the captain nodded and let her pass.

"The rest of you, stay prepared. We might need to send reinforcements to our other squads later if it comes to it. You might have had reason to return sooner, but that does not relieve you from duty. Understood?" The captain commanded.

The security team saluted while the scientist went to get to work. With little more that they could do the security team simply patrolled the camp, some keeping an eye out at the entrance that led deeper into the island while those who had become bored with that began to patrol the edges of the camp around the water, where there wasn't likely to be anything of note but with all they'd seen out on the water it wasn't as though anyone could chastise them for making sure that nothing was there. Soon enoughs hours became several hours and eventually the different teams began to return.

One by one they would crest the hill and wave as they made their way down into the camp with all manner of things, some with live animals, some with samples of rock and soil, others with bundles of plants and oddly shaped fruits. Kazuya kept count of the teams, five of the six had already returned. Most returned not long after the first, the groups filing in as though doing so on schedule but it had already been an hour and a half since the fifth had arrived with no sign of the sixth at all in that time. He kept his ears open, eyes up toward the sky in case they'd popped a flare or sent out some other signal that they needed help. But nothing came and though he would normally shake it off as the nerds losing track of time looking at their rocks or whatever the feeling he'd felt earlier as they'd made their way deeper into the island made itself known again, a shiver up his spine and with that in mind he went to find the captain.

Esmerlda was in her private tent, going over the samples she had collected. The plants sat in pots of the local soil so it could continue to thrive while she focused her attention on the big matters: the harvested samples from the boar. Inspecting the placid worms one by one, dressed in full surgical garb, she did all manner of tests with the worms. She ignited a bit of the sludge to test if it was flammable. She was glad for the mask and the enclosed yet well ventilated tent, for as she did, the sludge on her stick ignited into a gaseous form in mere seconds, and as this happened, the maggots began to squirm in a frenzy, fighting against the bottle trying to get out.

Quickly she wafted away the smog and replaced the scent with that of her most pleasant blooms, which appeared to soothe their fervor. "Fascinating... Disturbing, but,"

"Found out anything interesting?" Came the voice of one of the captains from behind. Turning around, there stood Hotoke, leader of the expedition. While not an official title, it was clear as day that every other officer adhered to his instructions and wants. Esmeralda nodded. "Yes sir! I would implore you to gather the captains to discuss my discoveries. It is a dire thing to talk about."

Hotoke seemed unperturbed, but she could see in his eyes the concern. She knew the deal with leadership. If they begin to show panic or unease, so will the men. Her father had been very good at teaching her that. With a nod, he gestured for her to come with him. Corking up the vials and tying them to her belt again, she followed along. "I will be sure to gather up a meeting for it. But for now, there are other matters to attend." He spoke. When outside she would find Kazuya and the squad again standing in salute, along with a few new faces she did not recognize. Each of them soldiers. No scientists. "This soldier has brought to our attention that a squad is missing. No flares. No signals, and outside of the established time frame. You will accompany these men and women to find them." He said as he handed Kazuya a paper and a compass. "These were their travel routes. Find them, bring them back."

"Forgive me sir, but I am so close to revealing all the secrets of these samples. Aren't there other medics who might be able to fit the bill?"

"No. There are other competent medics, but none of them have combat experience the way you do. If a squad is missing, we must be ready to assume the worst. And in that case, I want every man and woman combat abled. Understood?"

"Aye sir." Esmeralda said, clearly disappointed, but saluting all the same.

"Move out!"

Esmeralda followed Kazuya as he led the way towards the rough location of where the missing squad might be. "Which direction did they go?" she asked her friend, waiting for him to share the insight regarding this missing adventure party.

Kazuya had glanced at the paper but it held no important information, he didn't know what he'd expected it to. The island was unmapped and almost completely uncharted. He had their general direction at best, "South-East is where squad six headed. With nothing about the island being known there's no telling what they ran into. So everyone needs to stay alert. If they got lost out here, and that's their best case scenario, so could we. We still have awhile before night fall so we'll try to find them before then." He answered Ezzy as well as made their cautions and goals known to everyone else in the squad.

Unfortunately for the sixth squad, the path they'd taken was not one of open grassland between two sets of thick forest but rather the thick forests themselves. All manner of plant and animal life around them could be seen and heard. Some matching those brought in by the other squads and some he'd never seen before at all. The man's hair began to stand on end before suddenly a bright flash of lightning followed by the shaking of the Earth was heard and felt. Lightning had struck not far from them, adding yet another dangerous possibility ahead of them.

Continuing foward for awhile longer, he suddenly felt a hand upon his shoulder. Turning around expecting to see Ezzy there he instead saw none other than the giant wolf woman from earlier. Anaya motioned to the side of the path they were creating, a large plant and from its curved leaves dripped more of that black sludge they'd seen before.

"Perhaps they had an encounter of their own?" The wolf woman spoke before moving ahead as she could smell the death and decay of the black sludge and thus between her and the man, she was more suited to keep them from coming into contact with it. Not even more than a few feet beyond the plant did they find a few of the belongings of the group that had gone missing. A backpack and a notepad on the ground covered in the black sludge. "Green girl from Khalahai, you've been studying those samples you took for awhile now. What do you make of this?"

Esmeralda borrowed a blade from one of the soldiers, moving up to the sludge. Poking the blade into it and overturning it, she revealed more of the worms from before. It was a lucky guess, but one which confirmed her suspicion. "This sludge is unnatural. It is not a natural phenomena. It's existence consists of all manner of materials and components which does not belong together, and some which are completely unknown. These worms sustain themselves by eating the sludge. I believe the sludge is what made the boar be what it was, and the worms just fed on its corrupted body." She said, using nearby vegetation to wipe off the goop from the blade and returned it to the soldier. "Neither of them are natural. The sludge does not appear to be immediately toxic or dangerous, but I'd advice against letting it touch any open wounds or orifice. I'd rather not find out what that would do to us. So! Avoid touching both as much as you can. The worms don't appear hostile or interested in us, but why tempt fate?"

Anaya placed her hands on her hips, "Aye. No point in taking unnecessary risks..." She started before her nose began to twitch when a light breeze pushed past them. On it was again the overwhelming stench of rot and decay but beneath it was something else, something more alive and human. "I might have their scent, the scent of something alive at least. Alive and most likely human." She explained before she began off toward the scent she'd caught, but immediately slowed herself as not to leave the others behind in case whatever had caused the disappearance of the others suddenly decided to start picking off stragglers. The terrain continued as thick bush and trees for some time until they came to the edge of a cliff ran along a great rockfield, jagged and smooth stones alike littered the large open space and the stench of death was all the stronger here.

As the others caught up to her she stopped them from proceeding. The smell was too strong for her to keep up with the scent of the others, far too powerful and pervasive that it seemed as though it would stain the inside of her nose and it took all her willpower not to start gagging. So much so that she simply pinched her nose and thus, with that any chance of finding the others was greatly reduced.

"What's your problem?! They could be in danger, we need to hurry up." Kazuya spoke out in protest to the wolf woman's stopping but she raised a clawed finger to her lips and pointed out toward the middle of the field where something stood. Nothing she'd ever seen before, nothing human.

Esmeralda hunkered down behind foliage along with the other men, keeping low profiles while peeking around the corners to see if they could catch a glimpse of it. What they saw truly struck the fear of god into them. Nothing human indeed. Nothing natural either for that matter. Standing in the middle of the field, looking towards a cave in a hill, its head cocked to the side, stood an entity that felt entirely wrong to look at. It had a somewhat feminine stance, but that is where the human similarities ended. A body that appeared to be composed of a purple and black ooze from this distance, its pattern fluid and changing, like two substances trying to mix that didn't want to. And along its body, seemingly keeping it steady and together, were a skeletal structure. Like the exoskeleton of a bug, but not as covering. Like ordinary skeleton but on the outside. Long clawed feet and hands of bone, a long skeletal tail that was flicking to and fro, longer than its whole body, and on certain points on its body was a collection of what appeared to be blue roses.

Its head was adorned with the skull of a grand creature unlike any they had ever seen. It's horns were not of bone, but of ethereal flames of a ghastly coloration, as was it hovering in small wisps of fire around it. This creature appeared to be saying something as its mouth moved. It had no cheeks as such, for when it opened its mouth, you could see every tooth along its jaw. Then the flames of its head flared up and it swiftly turned its head towards the newly arrived squad at breakneck speed. It was almost in the blink of an eye that it had turned its attention to them. Its sickly green-yellow eyes made them feel as if the creature stared into their souls. With a crooked smile, it cocked its head before a breeze came flowing, and in an instant, it flickered out of exsistence. But even so, its reeking scent could still be felt by the wolf woman. "W-What the hell was that?!" Hissed one of the solder women, armed to the teeth with ammuntition and a rifle of Lubbockian design.

"Invisible or gone..." Kazuya commented, sword still in hand as whether or not the danger had passed or not was still unclear. Even so at the very least he knew that whatever it was knew they were here and thus saw no disadvantage to moving out of the trees and into the more open field of stone.

"Careful, I can't see it but the smell still lingers, like the Hinoan boy said, it could be invisible. With everything we've seen thus far today it wouldn't surprise me one bit. The smell is too powerful for me to pinpoint the location either, we'll need to watch eachother's backs." She stated, joining Kazuya out on the rocky field.

Kazuya looked toward the cave the being had been staring at. "Stay close and in formation. Ezzy, you stay in the center, you're the only one who has any idea what's going on here so keeping you safe is top priority, and no backtalk about it either!" He barked like an order though technically he had no authority over Esmeralda Drake. "We should head toward the cave, that thing seemed interested in it and the dog girl's nose brought us this way so we're still headed in the right direction."

The dark-haired man began to move on, the others falling into formation and keeping a watch all around them with Esmeralda as their center just as Kazuya had ordered.

Following in their tracks, Esmeralda kept a keen eye out for any slightest hint of the creature re-appearing. Stepping to the field and slowly making their way towards the cave, soldiers keeping their eyes on their six while they entered it. Sabina, a woman usually quite cool headed and calculating of risks and situations found herself almost shaking. This was not right. Not natural. Unholy. She wanted to call upon her gheist companion, but there was no telling what might come of the situation if she carelessly threw a dragon sized bat onto the field. As they continued deeper, they could hear the cocking of a gun. "Soldiers! Name is Esmeralda, medic of the Exodus. We are not here to harm you." She called out.

Silence for a good minute before they received a reply from the dark. "Is the freak gone?" Asked a man, his voice paniced and quivering. Esmeralda didn't know how to answer that as there was no telling really, but she took the risk of telling a lie just so they can proceed onward. "Yes, it is gone. It disappeared when we arrived." She said with a comforting tone, stepping out of the circle of warriors, igniting a lamp to get a better view of the area.

In the middle of a hollowed out cavern wall sat the company of soldiers and scientists, scared out of their minds. Taking a few more steps forward she noticed a woman on her back, clutching her leg. "Keep a watch on the entrance!" She shouted at her company, walking up to the seemingly injured woman. She had many cuts across her body, bandaged up with gause which had taken on a deep crimson color. Intending to heal her, she noticed her clutched leg. It's ankle and femur was tainted with the black gunk, and around the edges of it she could see the yellow worms trying to eat their fill.

Kneeling down beside her, she put on her gloves and began to inspect what kind of proceedure she needed to take. Taking a knife she began to scrape away the goop, and as she did she saw the boils and blisters beneath which leaked more of the sludge. Trying to empty them out, much to the patient's screams of agony, she hoped to find a spontaneous solution to the predicament. The wounds were recent. The skeletal structure felt whole and hale, but the big concern was the flesh around it.. "Status update, soldiers?" She called out to Kazuya and the others, attending to the woman.

"No sign of the thing from before, all quiet on our end but we're keeping a look out. What about you? Should we prep for transport? How many injured? Just the one?" He asked, calling back to her from the entrance, not looking back as his job was to the front and more over he didn't care to see what sort of wounds the monster had inflicted, not after getting more than a lifetimes worth of eye full when it came to the rotting boar that had charged them before. "Is it the same? Like what we saw before?" He asked, not elaborating as not to scare the others who had no idea about the boar or the black sludge.

"It is. And we have three other wounded. None grievous or causing a handicap." She explained back. The woman was now biting down on a belt to help her contain her screams as Esmeralda moved on to the next step. With all the gunk removed, she took out a bottle of high-alcohol concentrated absinthe. "This is going to burn. I'm sorry." Esmeralda said as without warning she poured the liquid over her sored leg. Had it not been for the belt she almost felt convinced the camp could have heard her even from this distance. Wrapping it up with bandages, she went on to question the entourage. "What happened?"

"Some... Freakish animal attacked us. Appeard a bit like some sort of reptilian wolf. Then another. And another. Got us good with some of their attacks. In an attempt to run away to get better cover and postions, we fell back to this area, our dear lady stumbling into a pool of muck on the way. And then as if... on demand, that *thing* stood before the cave entrance. It whispered haunting words that we couldn't understand. It was as if it was taunting us with how it moved and acted. Like this was all a play. A game to it." He explained. "I don't know quite how to describe it. It was nothing we've ever seen. We thought it was going to kill us."

"But it haven't, clearly. Any idea why?"

"Not the faintest. Best guess would be because of our lady here. Maybe it is just fascinated." He suggested.

"But then why-?" She was about to reply when she heard a scream from outside. Running to the point where the soldiers stood, one of the men were currently being dragged away towards the cave entrance by an ethereal hand. The soldiers ran up to the man, trying to keep him from being carried away, but their strength was for naught.

The man was pulled out of the entrance and out of view, leaving the soldiers and people stunned. Minutes passed of complete cold silence. Then they began to hear a panting, and swift footsteps. The man came into view, running down towards them again, weapons dropped as if they would have slowed him down, and his face pale like snow. "She's a monster!" he shouted, trying to run past them to safety.

Though it seemed most of the others didn't catch it, Kazuya had, the way the man had phrased his shouted. "What do you mean she? The way it was shaped? The way it talked? Or something else? What do you mean 'she'?" The young man made his demand for answers clear, not having heard the conversation between Ezzy and the others regarding how the being spoke and thus to Kazuya any information on the creature was of the highest value. "Ezzy! If the girl is good enough to move then we should be. We're sitting ducks out here!"

"Understood!" She shotued back as the other soldier came running into the hiding spot. "Help me out here, We need to carry her." She ordered as a collection of warriors came in to create a little stretcher to carry her away on. The soldier meanwhile in a frantic state began to ramble of his experience. "The voice... It was like hearing a dozen voices at once, all of them haunted and female. It... It thanked me for its service as its ghostly limbs dug into my chest and head. That is not of this world! That kind of magic cannot exist!"

As they prepared this, they all would begin to hear something unnerving. Something approaching. The stench became all the more noticable for Anaya, and the warriors were rightly on edge. The sound didn't sound like ordinary footsteps, but rather like the rattling of knucklebones on stone. The sounds came closer and closer, and it brought a chilling sensation that rose through just about everyones spines. Then it came to a halt when the sounds seemed to only be a few feet away from them.

The wind could be heard from outside as the breeze picked up in speed. With a cold wind blowing through the cave, in the blink of an eye once more, the creature stood seven feet away from them. Ten feet tall, its body indeed seeming to be made out of muck and sludge, though of not the same nature as what they have seen. And its skeletal frame rattled as it cocked its head and moved its tail, looking upon them all. Several soldiers felt an innate desire to drop weapons and run for their lives as far and fast as they possibly could. It opened its strange and unnatural mouth and began to speak. "You 'ave... som'one... tainted. 'And then over. They be... dange'ous."

Kazuya's entire body shook, but what he felt wasn't anything as unnatural as the creature itself. It was fear, not like one fears height or spiders. No, Kazuya felt throughout his entire body a primal fear, the fear of Death like a cold wind that cut down to his core. Even so, he held onto his sword before the creature, the faint sound of metal moving as his sword shook with his body echoed through the cavern along with the chattering of teeth.

Anaya, only two feet shorter than the creature itself stood motionless, feeling the same primal dread as what Kazuya felt. But she was more animal than he and thus her instincts were stronger and so where as he could fight against that fear she herself could not. Her fur stood on end, sticking up like needles with her tail tucked pathetically between her legs.

Though Kazuya stood firm, he did not attack, something in him would not let him. Not just fear, more his body not letting him make a poor decision. So he did the next best thing in his mind. "S-sorry, I-I d-d-don't s-speak... F-Freak!" His last word met its mark and came out more as a yell toward the beast. His mother and father would chastise him for putting himself in danger like this, but he'd promised Ezzy nothing would happen to her and he was extending that to the other soldiers for now. So long as he stood on two feet he'd stand in this things way.

The creature before them took analyzis of the situation, its ghastly eyes glancing over the whole party, and then towards the hole in the wall, almost appearing as if it was peering through rock and flesh to find its target. Looking back to the dozen men and women before it, barring its way, it raised its clawed hand. There were only long skeletal monstrous digits in place of actual fingers. Pointing at the gathered people, the digits began to emit a ghastly fog that began to spread forward. "I said: You 'ant to give me the 'oman." It whispered, its multifaceted feminine voice resonating in the cave. Kazuya and Anaya stood firm, if not scared out of their wits, but behind them they could hear footsteps. Slow, agonizing footsteps walk away. "We... Want to give you the woman." They muttered as they had begun to turn around and walk into the hole. Sabina, still unable to keep herself from moving, was able to keep her wits enough to speak: "Ma'am! It... It's doing something. I can't- We cannot control ourselves." She shouted as the company walked in with intent of taking the injured woman to be dragged out before the creature.

Kazuya could hear the footsteps behind him, heard Sabina's voice call out along with the almost zombified groan of those the monster seemed to take control of. But he couldn't take his eyes off the monster, there was no telling what it might do if he glanced away even for a moment. Even if he could he couldn't very well attack those he'd been tasked with protecting, but he couldn't just do nothing.

So, if his body wouldn't move he would force it to. Wind swirled around his body, his arms and legs, moving them where his own muscles refused to, raising his sword and drawing it back before the wind began to visibly twist around the blade like a tornado before he thrust it forward sending a piercing needle of wind forward toward the monster. "D-don't think you can just do w-whatever y-you want!"

The wind torrent that shot forward impacted with the creature's belly. The wind pierced straight through, gunk spreading over the place behind as the wind cut cleanly through the gut, leaving a vacant hole in the belly. The creature didn't topple. It didn't reel or stumble. It stood like the mountain as the sludge behind it proceeded to move back to its body while more spawned from above and below the hole to fill the gap. It leaned its head down until it stood directly face to face with Kazuya, the dread of death thick in the air.

The men inside reached towards the woman. The other men tried to fight them off, but they were wounded, tired, and scared near an inch of their life. And despite their groans and inability to fight against the will of the entity outside, they still fought just as well as if they had been in their minds full senses. They didn't stand a chance. Sabina was the one to take the woman by the shoulders, screaming and crying as she was being dragged off. Pain and panic all at once as they were scurried away, Esmeralda hopelessly trying to fight of a larger and stronger man who held her off.

Though Anaya couldn't bring herself to fight the monster, nor could she force herself to move with wind the way Kazuya could, there was still something that she could do. Turning around she headed further into the cavern toward where the others had run off toward, reaching the small space where the group were struggling to pull one of the women away.

Unlike Kazuya, Anaya had no reservations about attacking those who were taken over by the monster. She'd made no oath to protect anyone and so her strength was her own to wield as she pleased. With powerful legs, she jumped upward toward the wall, kicking off the stone and flying above the group aiming a kick directly at Sabina's shoulder intending to break her grip and land on top of the white haired woman.

The creature was standing patiently before Kazuya, staring at him as it cocked its head from side to side every once in a while, causing a rattling of its bones and joints. It stared at him, the one remaining and resilient member of the squad, save for the wolf girl whom had run off. "You are 'trong." It whispered. "I do not 'ant to hurt you. Any of you. Just give me the injured one. I'll leave. That woman... Is a danger to you all. Us all. It would be kind, merciful, to kill her now. I'll be quick."

Meanwhile, inside the cavern, Sabina had instincitvely grown spiked rose quartz on her shoulder as she saw Anaya coming for her. She didn't really mean to, but her body was simply reacting on its own. The impact of the kick scraped her foot and caused an ache in Sabina's shoulder. But her body didn't stop. It continued to try and pull the woman out. "Break my arm if you have to!" Sabina shouted at the woman, trying to give her further encouragement to do what it took to break the poor woman free.

Anaya felt the pain as the spikes cut into the bottom of her shoe and stabbed into the flesh of her foot, feeling enraged as a result but even in spite of that at Sabina's order to strike a bone breaking blow the wolf woman hesitated. She'd indeed been ready and willing to attack though she thought that she could take down the threats without causing any lasting injury but it seemed that such a thing might be impossible if the creature was also able to take control of their catalysts as well and use that magic against her. Making the split second decision, she did as the woman told her with only a quick "I'm sorry" before she struck Sabina's elbow, ignoring the stones that pierced into her hand as a result of Sabina's catalyst fighting back without her willing it to do so. The sound of stone stabbing into flesh was immediately followed by the sickening sound of a cracking bone. Despite the desparate situation they were in, Anaya had made it a clear break that would heal well in due time.

"Your words don't match your actions, Freak. And strong? You haven't seen anything yet!" His courage found him again, not stumbling over his own words though his wind was still needed to move his body to any useable degree. Raising his sword into the air he brought it down toward the creature, the blade whistled as it cut through the air around it and though it could not be scene, five sharp gusts of wind came at the creature from all directions. "Six paths strike!" He called out as he aimmed to cut the devilish being to pieces, hoping it wouldn't heal from that as well.

The gusts of air sliced through the air, kicking up the dust and gravel in the cavern, causing a mere silhouette to remain of the monster before Kazuya. With the dust in the air it was vague, but the sounds were all the more noticable because of it. From his left came a skeletal palm about to swat him into the wall. A skilled warrior such as himself would be able to tell the strength behind the attack, it probably being able to break bone if not attended to swiftly.

Sabina could do nothing other than drop the woman, unable to keep a grip with her elbow broken and incapable of sustaining a hold. The woman cried out in agony as she fell flat on her back and the back of her head impacted against the rock. Sabina spun around, screaming as her elbow flung in the air from the sudden turn and reached for the woman again with her other arm.

There wasn't much room in the cavern and thus, the only direction he could dodge was forward or backward. Neither option made for a good choice for their own reasons and in his hesitation to choose either he wasn't fast enough to properly dodge out of the way of the oncoming attack. Throwing up his hands arms to guard and creating a powerful gust of wind that clashed with the oncoming palm of the Monster. It wasn't much but it slowed down the attack enough that when it hit him, sending him flying against the wall nothing immediately broke as a result.

Meanwhile, Anaya had hoped that her attack against Sabina put a halt to the attempts to grab the woman even if it left the woman quite a bit more banged up in the process. But as she saw the woman keep at it despite having her arm broken she gritted her teeth. "Sorry, Sabina!" Anaya telled out, going for a thrusting kick toward Sabina's chest in an attempt to put distance between Sabina and the other woman. "You can be pissed at me later!" She gave permission to Sabina to be mad after this was all over.

The kick to her chest knocked Sabina out cold as the shock from her arm overwhelmed her senses. The warrior fell to the ground with a scream as her sore leg suffered all the more. Esmeralda started to get tired of this attack, utilizing her magic at long last, creating dark pink posies which grew to great sizes before sicking them on the soldiers, engulfing and restricting them. Getting up on her feet, she hurried over to the woman who just moments ago was being dragged out. Hearing the turmoil outside, without even looking out, she felt in her core that it wasn't going well. The dread of death was spreading inside the hole they were in.

Looking down at the woman's leg, she realized soon enough that the sludge was starting to return. Was it not removed earlier? Could it be removed? There was no time to ponder these prospects. The creature was getting closer. There was no stopping it... "Anaya! I need a belt!" Esmeralda shouted, trying to get her voice to reach past the fear that was approaching. "We need to give it what it wants! At least hope it is what it wants!" she said, fear dripping from her voice as she reached for her knife and bonesaw. The soldier seemed terrified at first. "What are you doing?"

Outside, the creature was walking past Kazuya and toward the cavern. "A gamble! We can't seem to beat it! We can only hope that getting rid of the corruption it seeks you for, that it will leave us in peace." Esmeralda said before looking to Anaya. "Hold her down for me, please!"

Anaya did what was asked of her, tearing a belt off of one of the nearby soldiers was easy enough, passing it to Esmeralda she then took to the other task, getting down on all fours and using her large, powerful limbs to hold down those of the woman. She wasn't going anywhere but that didn't mean that she wasn't squirming, and thus this would still be far from a cake walk for Esmeralda.

"Even if this works what stops her from dying of shock?" Anaya asked, having heard the stories before of infected or otherwise unsaveable limbs being amputated only for the warrior to meet their end from the resulting shock. Would all this really be for nothing?

Esmerlada didn't answer at first, but rather used the belt around the woman's thigh and fastened it firmly. When she was convinced that this would be a temporary solution to the bleeding she prepared the last bits. Picking up a small syringe she injected it into the woman's body. "Morphine. Dampens the pain substantially and should eleviate her from any aggressive shocks." She explained as she put on her gloves and went to work. With three quick slices did she manage to cut in towards the bone, a smoother experience than the jagged cuts of the saw. The woman bit down on her old belt to contain the screams. The morphine worked its magic all the while, but there was undoubtedly substantial pain experienced.

Now that the bone was clear, she took forth the bonesaw and lined it up just beneath her kneecap, just to be certain. There was no signs of the injury having gone this far, so it was as good a place as any. Nodding to Anaya, she began to saw through the bone. She was strong, quick, and efficient with it, not taking time or care to be smooth. It was an act of desperation that might not even yield results, but this was their only hope for everyone to get back alive. The woman struggled all the while, but soon enough had Esmeralda managed to cut through the bone and detatched the leg. It was a grizly sight, but it was a necessary risk. Taking the leg in her hands, she ran out of the cave, only to be met by the creature right by the entrance.

If ever she had known dread, it was now. She had never been afraid of death, for such was just part of life in Khalahai, and she had seen some plenty death and injuries during the war against Doma'Khane. But this experience was like standing in the face of it, not knowing if this was your time or not, but leaning more and more towards a yes for every second spent in its presence. Falling to a knee, she presented the leg as if it was an offering. "The tainted piece is removed!" She shouted in order to get her voice out at all. "P-Please! Leave us now! There is no more sickness in here!"

The creature reached down and accepted the leg, holding it in her skeletal hand. Inspecting it, she smelled the air before looking down at Esmeralda again. "It would 'till be a mercy to en' 'er life. 'Ounded do not survive here. 'Ounded cannot fight. No fight, no life." It whispered.

"W-We'll take that risk, thank you very much..." Esmeralda whispered, silently looking at the ground, crying tears of terror, her face contorted into one of abject horror. The feeling then faded away, and as she looked up, the creature was gone. She stayed still for a few more seconds as if to confirm if it was the case. But it would sure seem so. The monster was gone. Returning to the woman, she looked up to Anaya. "Thank you." She spoke softly as she waved a hand to release the soldiers who no longer resisted. "If it is all the same to everyone else, I say we get back to camp now!" She barked her order as she pointed for a couple of men to carry the woman as she bandaged the open wounds. "Kazuya! Are you well?" She called out into the dark cave, hoping he was still whole and hale, a deep concern in her voice.

Kazuya came out of the dark of the cave, leaning against its walls. There where no signs of physical injury but his labored breathing told her that he had not gotten out of it unscathed. "I'm good, I'm good, Ezzy." He spoke as he lifted himself from the wall and walked up to face his childhood friend. "I'm sorry I couldn't hold it off but more importantly how are you doing? Is everyone alright? How'd you manage to get rid of that thing?" He asked, placing a hand on her shoulder to make sure that she was real. The ominous feeling of death still loomed over him, so much so he needed to confirm his own physical presence in the world and hers. Feeling her shoulder in his hand he seemed to let out a sigh of relief.

"I gave it what it really wanted: The taint." Esmeralda breathed out as she felt the comforting hand of her friend on her shoulder. Patting it, she got back up on her feet, her knees shaking as she tried to recompose herself. "Everyone! We shouldn't stay here. Even if that devil is gone, who knows what else might be attracted to all this blood. I'd rather not take further risks." she remarked as she prepared stretchers for the two most wounded, the soldier and Sabina. "Anaya, Kazuya, it is not right to ask more from you after what you have already done for us, but we need you to escort us back and keep a keen eye out." Esmeralda spoke as she walked up to Anaya and hunched down, taking Anaya's foot to clean and mend with some medicine and gause.

"You realize you're asking an archaeologist to play security, right?" Anaya responded, jesting to put aside the stinging feeling she felt when Esmeralda took hold of her foot and began to banadage it. In truth, she'd forgotten about the wound, adrenaline still coursing through her body, something that would be quite evident to Esmeralda as her breathing was still quick and pupils dialated despite the primary danger having passed.

"She's also injured. If things get messy then she can feel free to jump in but me and the security team can handle getting us back to camp. I won't let anything else happen." Kazuya spoke up, knowing the wolf woman looked strong but in his mind that and her injury were all the more reason to keep her in reserve.

Turning as the soldier and Sabina were being loaded onto half-baked stretchers he noted that the soldier was out, and he didn't blame her. So instead he turned his attention to Sabina. "Holding up alright, Doc? Medical will get a cast on that thing real quick once we get back to camp. Can you hold out for us until then?" He asked, checking her lucidity.

Sabina was out cold still. The complete agony from before had left her bereft of consciousness. "I could give her a shot of adrenaline to wake her up, but that would only cause her even more pain. Keep an eye on her status. If her breaths become uneven or ragged, tell me immediately." Esmeralda called to him as they walked back at a brisk pace towards camp. "And by this point, I just want every single one to be ready for combat should it happen. I'd dare say that no one here is at their peak right now." She muttered as they continued their path. "And be careful where you walk! We don't want another infection on our hands."

After what felt like a good long while, everyone was back at camp, each man and woman rushing off to where they could find safety and food, and the injured were carried off to the medic tents to be taken care of. "We made it..." Esmeralda whispered softly to herself as she breathed the more comforting air of sterile work stations mingled with the food being cooked. Together they made for sense of peace that made her feel like she could relax. "Ms Anaya." Esmeralda called out as she approached her again, handing over more gause and disinfectant. "Switch the bandage once every six hours until the wound has healed up a bit more. Would be a shame for gangrene to set in."

"Indeed, and thank you." The wolf woman took hold of the gause and the bottle that Esmeralda offered to her, sitting down on a crate of supplies. The sky overhead was a dull gray but it was clear by the slow darkening of the sky that it was nearly dark now. The lights set up around the camp suddenly flickered to life, causing Anaya's ears to twitch as she'd caught the low hum before they'd lit up. "That was some quick thinking back there. I don't know why that thing wanted whatever that black gunk was but I'm glad it took it and left. I heard that lady and the Doctor will recover. One faster than the other of course." Anaya responded, trying to make light of the situation. They hadn't been here very long and things were already going to shit, but they'd traveled months to get here, turning back wasn't exactly an option. Especially given the resources poured into this expedition, it wasn't very often that all the countries came together for something. To make a failure of this would see to it that it never happened again.

"What about yourself? I'm sure you've seen worse considering... You know. But how are you doing besides that?"

Esmeralda looked up to Anaya, a curious look in her eye, as if she was confused why she cared about what she felt like. Not too long ago they had been in spats and arguments. Softening in her gaze, she shied away from her, looking at the ground as she gathered her things and getting ready to head to her science tent, almost feeling unable to look the wolven woman in the eye as if out of shame. "True, I've seen worse. A cut off leg is nothing compared to the war that I had to treat our soldiers in. But... To be on the 'frontlines' of such a losing fight, knowing that death was close, feeling it right before me, making me feel as if I was presenting my life for it to take... It was terrible. I've never... I've never been so scared." She muttered as she got back up, starting to walk towards her tent. "How about you? What was it like for you?"

An amused huff of air escaped Anaya's nose, visible in the quickly cooling air. "My mother used to battle your father often enough for them to consider one another true enemies. She raised me to carry her strength, I've little doubt I could tear the average man in half twice over and yet today I've never felt so useless. I did more harm to our own allies than I did our enemy. If that isn't a failure of duty then I've no idea what is. Though I'm here as a scientist, not security. Perhaps I shouldn't take it so hard. I'm sure your boy-toy feels worse than I. Protecting us *was* his job after all." A fang hung from the corner of her half-hearted smile and her tail moved back and forth.

"Either way, don't let it get to you. I've always considered the aftermath the worst part, personally. In the moment you have the power to prevent as much death as possible. Once the dead are dead and the wounded are carried off, all there is to do is assess the toll."

"Huh." Ezzy muttered in slight surprise. She turned her head around a bit so she could look at Anaya yet again. "Seems like our parents taught us very similar lessons then. Maybe not much of a surprise, but... still. As for Kazuya, he is probably in the low now, yeah. Should probably go comfort him la- Wait. What was that you said? 'Boy toy'? That's... No, ew! H-He is my friend, not a-a- Not that!"

Anaya's smile grew at her reaction, toothy now as it showed off her large sharp teeth. She put her hands on her hips as though declaring some sort of victory with her posture. "You should be careful with your words. A reaction like that would surely hurt his feelings regardless of if he considered you a romantic prospect or not." She snickered before shaking her head.

"Fine, fine. Whatever he is to you. He failed to keep it at bay all the same. The worst possible scenarios likely ran through his head, and the what ifs are likely to haunt him even now. In truth, they should have known better than to put someone so young in charge with so much on the line. But as I said, I'm here as a scientist. What I think about security is moot."

"Not moot. If you think security was insufficient, then maybe that is worth reporting on. I certainly am going to. Not him in particular, but that it seems clear that we need stronger protection for our expedition parties. One was overwhelmed by a mere beast and cornered by that... thing, and we were no better help to them for it. We were unprepared and too few. Parties need to be larger from here on out. It will take longer to scope out the island, but we need to keep ourselves safe more than we need to expand."

"You say that as though our battle against whatever that thing was supposed to be was a numbers game. Your friend is strong, in sword and in wind magic. But he could not harm it. Not for lack of contact either. It took over the minds of our allies, made them turn against us. Greater numbers, stronger allies, in such a case I can only see that working to our detriment. What we need now is knowledge, information on our foes. Not everything is a wall we must simply butt our heads against until it breaks after all."

Anaya explained, "Ah. And it was actually my father who taught me that part. Who would have known that business and the battlefield hold so few differences, eh?"

"I never thought of it like that. The business aspect, that is. Though I suppose it makes sense. No one in my family is particularly interested in running companies." She chuckled. "And you are right... I don't know what sort of magic that was, but to control the minds of others is not something seen before. It is true... If we are to stand a chance we need to learn more, and quick. First off is the knowledge of that whatever that goop and worms is, it is an infestation we cannot risk in the slightest, lest we attract... that thing again. Let's check in with the captains. See if we've found something new from the other parties. Anything, really."

"Right. Though I doubt they've encountered anything on the same level that we did or we'd have heard about it by now." Anaya nodded her head, motioning for Esmeralda to lead the way.

Leaning against a crate near the quartermaster's tent with a thoughtful expression on his face was one indeed one of the captains. Osmund stroked his chin, looking deep in thought and not hearing the girls approach him until they were nearly on top of him. He jumped a bit when he noticed them before straightening himself back up and letting out a sigh as he ran his fingers through his deep red hair. "Sorry, I didn't notice the both of you... Hey, you're from the same squad as... That means you all encountered it too. If you're wanting to check up on her, Sabina is recovering. Healing magic is doing its job but broken bones rarely heal over night."

He shook his head, "You're Anaya and Esmeralda, right? Didn't expect to see the both of you together all things considered, but that's a good thing I suppose. You both did good today. Quick thinking, who knows how many people you saved?" He complimented the both of them before he seemed to realize something. "Oh, uh, did the both of you need anything?"

Anaya did not acknowledge his praise, crossing her arms over her chest as she towered above even the tall man that was Osmund. "We were wondering if any of the other parties ran into anything, made any discoveries. You know? The works." She asked bluntly and straight forward.

"Nothing like what you all did, no. But Spade company discovered some old ruins, older than anything I've seen before by what they're saying. We planned on sending out a party tomorrow to look it over but after today I'm not so sure if its a good idea while whatever that thing is supposed to be is still out there. Not to mention the zombie boar you all were attacked by." Osmund explained to them before wiping the sweat from his face.

"I didn't expect it to be a cake walk of course. But that doesn't mean I expected zombie animals or goo monsters either. Who could have?"

Esmeralda nodded her head in agreement. It is true, no one could ever have anticipated something like what they have already been through. And there was no telling what else could be hiding deeper within the island if they strayed further inside. Even so... "Yes, Captain, it is an unexpected precedent and it is impossible to tell when something else might show up. However, if we start relenting on our discoveries, then we might be doomed. Better to learn as much as we can from this place, lest we face more dangers that we are wholly unequipped to deal with." She spoke, voicing her opinion on the matter.

Taking a few more moments to think, Esmeralda then spoke up yet again. "With your permission, Captain, I would like to venture to the ruins that they found. Perhaps they hold some sort of answer to what is going on here. A smaller squad this time. If we face something like that thing again, then numbers won't do us good to begin with. Makes it easier to flee as well by then... Her idea, not mine." She spoke, nodding her head to Anaya, not wanting to take credit for an idea that wasn't hers. "I'd bring myself, two guards, and one or two archeologists to the site."

Osmund shook his head at her request but did not outright deny it, turning his head to think for a moment. The silence dragged on for nearly a minute before he clicked his tongue. "You're brave, Esmeralda. I respect that a lot. But you're also the daughter of Khalahai's God, bringing you out here at all was dangerous enough. What do you think your father will do if it turns out we let you take on such a daring task only to fall so far away from home? You're going to need to give me more than a brave face and a whole lot of maybes to justify the possibility of plunging the nations into chaos again."

She did not hesitate with her answer. "They would mourn for me, but they would not act out of line. My family and I discussed this move at length. The mistakes, the obligations, the responsibilities, and the accomplishments would be on my shoulders. My mothers have always looked after me, and they were the most hesitant to let me go. But father knows this was my choice. With all the risks that it entails. No harm will come to anyone. Regardless of what would happen to me. Besides," She continued, taking a confident stance. "I am the best botanist and medic you have on hand. If anyone should search for the values of the land, it should be me. And if anyone comes to harm in this land, I should be there on the front looking after them. You need me out there, sir. My parents would be proud of me for taking the first steps out there."

Osmund crossed his arms, "I never said they weren't proud of you and while I'm sure you all talked lots about it there's a difference between words and actions after all... But if you insist on doing this I'll let you pick your team and in exchange you'll write out a letter confirming that you're aware of the risks involved and that it was your idea to go in the first place. It would make me feel better about the risk both in sending you and what might become of the nations should you not return. I'm sorry if that sounds harsh or cruel, but everyone remembers what happened in Doma. I'd rather not see that happen to any other country." Osmund spoke with hesitence in his voice, as though he was unsure if he was doing the right thing by letting Esmeralda go out to study the ruins.

"And you?" He looked up to Anaya, "Your dad put a lot of money into this expedition. If you're planning on going to then you'd better make sure you come back. Sure, I don't think your dad will wipe out half a continent he does have a lotta sway in how we and any future expeditions move forward. Though it looks like you can handle yourself."

Anaya yawned, bringing her large clawed hand up to her mouth. When she was done she placed her massive paw upon Esmeralda's head. "You've no need to worry about me. I will keep the Khalahian in line. She will not do anything reckless."

"A waiver then. I will write it. They will understand. As for you," She trailed off, tilting her head just slightly up to look towards Anaya. "Would you be so kind to take your hand away? I am not a kid to be looked down on. I might not look it, but I am just as much a fighter as anyone else in the squads of guards and soldiers."

"Something like that, Yeah" Osmund got in only a brief moment before Esmeralda began to scold Anaya for treating her like a child. Anaya stared down at the woman blankly, but did remove her hand from as as she was asked.

"A child? No. But reckless all the same. It is as Captain Osmund says, your father doesn't take kindly to the loss of his children. I would like to think your father would have learned his lesson about taking such drastic actions given it was one who gained his trust that also betrayed it. But I have little faith such a lesson was learned." She shook her head at Esmeralda.

"Even if what you say is true, I and your friend are skilled fighters as well and yet we accomplished nothing against that thing we encountered. It is not a measure of skill or ability we are talking about. Think about that when you ask others to risk their lives for this mission of yours."

"All the more reason to figure out what is happening here so we have a chance against it. If even our gods can be toppled, so can that thing. We just need to figure out how. And it isn't so easy as to say that it is 'my mission'. If you don't want to take the risk, you are free to remain. But I would honestly still prefer for you to come with. Not for your brawn, not for your remarks, but because I think you will be invaluable." she said as she turned back to Osmund. "I will go write the waiver and find my team then. If Anaya comes along, it will be a team of four. If not, it will be one of five. Sir!" She said, saluting as she proceeded to walk off to write the letter and look through the roster of who she wanted to come along with her.

"The girl is foolhardy, but that doesn't make her wrong. There must be something we can do to better our odds. I only hope it doesn't come down to throwing things at it to see what hurts." Anaya returned her attention to Osmund, crossing her arms again.

Omsund responded with a quiet yawn before stretching his arms up into the air to the sound of his bones popping. "I doubt we'll get that desperate, though I didn't encounter the thing myself. That said, I understand where she's coming from. Nothing feels worse than just sitting around doing nothing. Foolhardy or not everything we can learn will be invaluable to us out here, the place where nothing makes sense."

"Either way, I should go check on Sabina again. She's just as stubborn as that one is. No... More stubborn than that one. Wanting to jump right back to work." He let out a sigh. "And you should get some rest. Apparently, you have a big job tomorrow."

## New Day, New Hopes, New Dangers

Esmeralda had woken up earlier than she reasonably should. She had turned in the letter to be given to the Captain at his earliest convenience. Waiting for everyone else to show up, she had been inspecting the map and tried to figure out a variety of plans to go with as things progressed for the better or worse. She figured that the more they had planned out, the better. Even if the plans fell through, it was better to have some form of preparation.

"Father, mother... Look after me." She finished a prayer to the earth and fire gods. She hoped for the best of things, but that didn't mean that she wasn't nervous or afraid. Frankly she'd consider herself a fool if she wasn't. Looking up from the map and up to the blotted out sky, she thought over and over about what the day would throw at them. She had a small team to avoid the same dangers as last time. But only time would tell if that would be for the better or worse.

The first to arrive was none other than Kazuya, though one might view his early arrival as proper and punctual it was clear that the young man could have done with a bit more sleep. Dark circles had formed under his eyes, and he did not carry himself with the same vigor and pride as he had the day before. But who could blame him given the events that had transpired?

"Hey, you're up early. G'mornin' " Kazuya waved his hand in greeting, not a proper Hinoian greeting but the two had known each other since before they could write their own names, skipping the formalities now and again helped keep their bond strong.

Kazuya walked over and looked down at the map she'd been looking at. "How're you holding up?"