sticksandbonesmods | Let's go in the garden...

[Maybe is better than no. There's a spark in his eye as he stands, fingers wrapped tightly around her own, steps unsteady but determined. He has his in, he can make it work.]

It'd be easier than me visiting you. [He chuckles, and it's not a threat or a warning per se, simply a true statement... it would be more difficult for Add to do the visiting.

They enter through the fog, and he doesn't stop to look back... he doesn't have to, when Dynamo can take pictures for him. He hasn't forgotten about what else may be there, and if it's true...

nevermind that for now. He stares ahead, unwavering.

If he knew a price was coming, perhaps he would've been more prepared, expectant... but he puts one foot in front of the other, keeping pace with his shorter guide. The branches of the forest are thick and endless, reaching for them like a sea of clawed arms, swaying ever so slightly in the forest air. Like they're ready to reach out and grab them at any moment...

but they never do. is it his imagination, or do they pull back as he and Nene draw near...?

Staring at the branches makes him feel dizzy, after awhile... he must still be lightheaded from the mist. He focuses his attention on other things, such as holding Nene's hand firmly, not tripping in his heels, and, of course, discreetly hovering one dynamo out of sight so he can make a series of tiny laser-engraved trail markings as they go. You know. Just in case.]

( ... fuck. she should have warned him. but

it must have been something less tangible that was taken. she idly hopes it's nothing important, but knows it's futile- the forest loves to hurt. it's a greedy, terrible thing that finds what you love most and steals it for itself, if it can't tear you to shreds.

something is gone from add. even nene doesn't know what.

the forest air is full of whispers only she can hear, adoration and praise and cruel accusations of abandoning it all in one. she does not falter, her small hand holding add's own as she walks unfettered.

it must be night time- it's raining, too. but the chill won't reach the two of them, at least- not until she lets go. how long do they walk? the wall of fog twists and turns, like it's toying with them. )

... You have to be careful. The forest doesn't like you. And when you leave the Garden, it likes to claim a price. You'll probably figure out what it is soon. ... I should have said that sooner, but... there's no avoiding it. I'm sorry.

[A break from the silence is welcome, even if the topic is still quite grim. Anything to take his mind off the physical ordeal of hiking. Ugh, if only Dynamo had more of a charge...]

What sort of price? [he should sound more worried, but it's not like he has any choice. besides, if it is something he cares about... he'll just have to come back and reclaim it. fuck the forest and its rules.]

I don't think I like the forest either, so the feeling can be mutual.

It can be anything. A memory, a skill you can't relearn... I've seen it take body parts, before.

( but it acts as soon as they enter the woods, so... it must not have been something physical. )

If it's not noticeable, you'll know soon enough. ... It... believes that it's a small price to pay, to come back from the dead. But it's always something big.

I don't feel any different... but I'll do a full scan later to be sure of it. Thank you for telling me.

[there's no such thing as a skill that "can't be relearned", and memories... if he's to fix Elsword, he may as well do himself at the same time. Dynamo's backups should be helpful... for now, he decides not to worry about it.

he gives her hand a little squeeze, smiling down at her again.]

I suppose I owe you more thanks than that, don't I?

Mm... no. I wanted you to live. So this was for me as much as it was you.

( she doesn't sound upset, though- quite the opposite.

he had better not let go of her hand, though. the trail is only behaving on her account, after all. )

... What's it like? Your home.

[... he wants to ask why, but it feels like he'd just be talking her in circles. he thinks he knows the answer she'd give, anyway. would it not be kinder to leave her be? let her believe whatever strange lies she wants.

he laughs, hoping it's enough to mask his hesitation.] Depends on what you mean by it. The past few years have been nothing but traveling, "home" starts to lose it's meaning when you're on the road for so long. I suppose the closest thing would be Elrianode...

[but it's not really "home". because he's only ever had one place he calls "home", and that place is nothing but buried and built-over ruins now.]

What's Elrianode like, then?

( she almost sounds like a little kid, and not the tortured young woman she really is. )

[He hums, looking ahead again. What's Elrianode like...? He speaks softly, like he's telling a bedtime story.]

Mm... it used to be the biggest city in all of Elrios. It's where the Great El is kept, in a tower that reaches all the way up to the clouds. Big marble states, luxurious houses, crystals built right into the walkways... but centuries ago, the city was abandoned and preserved under a seal. All the buildings are still there, but the people are long dead and gone. The outskirts sunk into the seal and gained unusual properties. You can find floating buildings and orbs of void energy if you travel deep enough into it. It's too dangerous for ordinary people, so you could say the city is cut off from the rest of the world.

Elsword and I stayed there for awhile, with the rest of our group. It's quiet, and there's an interesting view no matter where you go... and it's well-preserved, so the mansions near the inner city are still perfect livable.

Oh.... it sounds like Adlric's Grove, almost. Not in, um, building stuff but- it's in stasis.

( nene hums quietly, trying to envision it though. she remembers stone and brick houses, cottages interwoven with rock and wood and cobblestone paths. nothing like marble and crystals. it sounds terribly fancy, but she thinks she might be intimidated by it. )

... If you unlock it, you can unlock the grove, bit by bit.

[He wasn't fishing for information, but it showed up anyway... he peers down at her again, trying to read her expression.]

... So, something similar to a seal. Instead of falling into Henir, it's the forest...

And how might we unlock it?

I'unno. I asked not to be told a lot of the details, since anything I learn, the forest would learn.

( she... deflates a little, as she speaks. it hurts, knowing that even telling her things is dangerous. it hurts that she was right to ask not to know. it hurts that even now her own mind isn't her own.

it hurts. )

[He sees the hurt on her face, the painful truth in her words. If the forest is their enemy, then she too should be considered one. Anyone with such a deep infection, under the forest's control... even now, can he truly trust what she's saying? Is he making the most logical decision?

His steps slow, holding her hand tightly as they come to a stop, tugging her loosely to turn his way. When their eyes meet he smiles, something lopsided and shy that feels too natural, too honest... why does it feel so easy, when she's someone he only met today?

Add lets go, his hand moving up to her cheek.]

You've been very brave for everyone, Nene. Your big brother would be proud of you.

[so please, won't you smile for him?]

( nene freezes, eyes wide before they start to well up. it- that's not fair... brushing the tears away with her wrist, she manages to continue holding his hand while pulling him into a hug. she won't cry- she won't. not

here, anyway. maybe when she gets back to the church.

eventually she pulls back and manages a smile, even if some tears linger. )

He'll come back for me someday. I know he will.

But Nene's made a mistake. A terrible one.

She let go of Add's hand. And that

means

he's breaking the rules.

Even as they linger in an embrace, something burrows through the underbrush before yanking Nene back. She balks, confused before horror dawns on her face- but it's too late.

There is a howl cutting through the fog.

[He pats her back with his other hand, a tiny sigh of satisfaction escaping him...

until she's ripped out of his arms and back towards the trees, too quickly for him to react

All at once he feels the weight of the air, the chill and the dark and the piercing howls. There's malice in it, something that shouldn't be so palpable yet is. His entire body goes tense in that moment of vivid dread, adrenaline pumping, turning around to try and face the direction of a yet-unseen threat.

He holds out an arm—a silent command for his trailing Dynamo to go straight to Nene's side—and calls two more drones from within his coat... but they fly too low, too sluggish, their energy already spent from something he can't even recall. His jaw is locked shut into a composed glare but deep down in his heart he knows how fucked he is.

the panic in his chest builds, drones drawn tightly to his sides. what is he supposed to do? he can't give up here, there has to be something—]

What, what, what indeed? Poor, poor Add. He had no idea this entire time they were being stalked. It's not his fault he has to die.

Well, it is, actually, but he can't help that he's a nuisance.

Thundering pads of paws and claws rumble all around him before they stop, and through the mist steps a beast. Inky black sap drips from it's maw like drool and blood.

It's smiling. It's waiting.

Act, doctor. Act and draw your final breath.

[He's frozen in place, eyes locked on the beast that emerges through the trees and the mist. This is hardly the first time he's faced down death. If he compares it to the enormous Nephilim, the great Behemoth, the grotesque mutants of the Cult of Henir, a creature like this hardly qualifies for more than cannon fodder. A small, trifling little beast that would fall easily to the El Search Party.

But at the end of the day, Add by himself is only one human. He know all too well how fragile the human body is, how easily such a beast could snap his neck before he could even move. He's nothing without Dynamo, and if his drones are too weak to fight...

In moments like these, someone else would always jump in. Elsword, Chung, Raven... he'd be scolded for getting too close, putting himself at risk when he's supposed to be hanging back. But deep down, they all knew he'd be safe. He always felt safe. Why take the risk, if he wasn't confident he'd come out alive?

His composure falters, one foot slowly sliding back. This time, there's no one here to save him. No matter how much he prays, Elsword won't come flying in through the trees.

... but he's not ready to give up. not yet, even against all the odds in the world—

His two dynamos slam together, and the last of that energy is spent on a blinding burst of sparks—if something catches fire, he'll take it, but either way he's taking the only option he has left. He's fucking booking it in the opposite direction.]

Edited 2023-08-14 05:43 (UTC)

Wait- no- no, no, you can't- Add- DON'T HURT HIM!

( struggling in the tree's grasp, nene reaches out uselessly- her vision already starting to blur and worse yet, even if the forest wasn't holding her in place, she wouldn't be able to look away.

stupid. stupid stupid stupid stupid STUPID- you had ONE JOB. )

The wolf is still. And then it breaks into a run. Its claws tear into the ground underfoot as it gives chase, a frenzied snarl that almost sounds like a delighted declaration, that this was just what it wanted.

The underbrush does spark into fire, but it does little to deter the beast- or rather, despite whimpering in pain (is it the fire or is it the wood and growth) it's too maddened to care.

Perhaps the only mercy is that it doesn't toy with him. It's speed far outclasses a human man, so it can catch up quickly. From there? From there it can tackle him to the ground (even the paw pads are covered in thorns and overgrown claws) and rip and tear. Thousands of needle-like teeth, the jagged bark along its legs and chest, everything digs into Add. Everything stains red. Everything tears.

Edited 2023-08-14 06:00 (UTC)

[He doesn't make it very far before he's throw against the ground, claws digging into his back with enough force to crack ribs. The plating on his arms and legs does little to help—thin, flexible material that's only meant to stop glancing blows, armor that's swiftly ripped from his body along with flesh and blood and shattered bone. Dynamo clusters around him, the remaining drones tumbling from his pockets, helpless to do more than beep and crackle with what little power they have left—the drone by Nene is the only one that hesitates, lingers, torn between its instructions and the instinctive drive to protect him.

For what it's worth, Add is able to maintain that perfect and calm image he cares so much about. His throat is torn before he can scream, limbs pinned and crushed without a chance to crawl away.

... the drones cease their panicked circling.

A few seconds pass, and... with an air of great reluctance, the ones that still have the strength to fly leave their master to regroup at Nene's sides. The other two crash into the ground along the way, lights dimmed and spent.

They take care not to get too close to the vines. It's difficult to read the emotions of a faceless, voiceless array of robots—but they're clingy, weakened, searching for some sort of direction.]

( nene is released, dropping to the floor again with an odd mix of gentleness and callous roughness. she bursts into a scrambled run to add's side, but she knows- she knows. it's too late. the wolf left as soon as add's heart stopped, leaving gore just... dropped on his own corpse.

did the forest really hate this one man that much?

and yet nene can't make herself look away from bone and flesh. not until she remembers the drones- hesitantly, she reaches up to touch one, but... they're not going to last long, are they? )

Um- I... while you can, I need help. Carrying him. I can fix this, we just have to go back to the Garden... and when you need to sleep, I'll bring you along too. I promise.

( regardless of their answer, nene sits back, and takes a deep breath before touching the earth. and it answers her call, manifesting a stick-and-woven-grass stretcher. all she can do is try and move him onto it again, just like she did last time...

just like last time. )

[I can fix this is all she needs to say. They beep in reply, an unsteady swerving flight back to their master's side to help move him. What's left of him. If they and Nene all work together, it'll be just enough.

The exhausted drones shudder, one last fruitless attempt to do their part... she'll have to pick those ones up herself. They're heavier than they look, but not by too much.

Wherever she leads, they'll follow.]

( add will, eventually, come to again in the garden. there is no mother's voice humming this time. this time, there's crying, and a weight on his chest. he'll find nene curled up, half on his healed chest as her shoulders shake in heaving sobs, one of the dynamo drones still in her arms while the others are arranged around him in little makeshift beds of flowers and leaves.

her hands are transparent. )

[His dreams are murky and formless. Dark shapes that dance at the edges of his vision, hot breath against the back of his neck. Pins and needles, slickness on his skin... a tiny pit of dread, drowned in a calming numbness. It's just a bad dream, it says. You're safe here. Go back to sleep.

He can smell his mother's flowers all around him. It must be a good dream, if it reminds him of her.

There's no alarm to wake him, this time... but as his mind starts to stir, he can hear crying. Slowly, slowly, the pleasant illusion melts away...]

Mom...? [His voice comes out hoarse and quiet. He tries to move, but between the weight on his chest and his limbs being half-asleep, the best he can manage is a tired wiggle. He blinks through filtered light, staring up at the leaves of the tree.

... it can't be mom, because she's been dead for centuries. Add groans weakly, trying to remember. Focus, stupid. Wasn't he with someone...?]

Where is... Nene? Is that...

Edited (-t) 2023-08-15 02:51 (UTC)

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