LiverisGood

Arknights: The Dark Woods (PaulHaynek & LiverisGood)

@PaulHaynek

Medivac thanked the boy and turned around to face Radiant. “Well Radiant, what you think of our Musician’s tale?”

“He’s the best source of information we got,” Radiant replied with some worry in her voice. “It’s a lot to take in to be honest. Regarding the mask, I’m sure the father made the mask to protect him. Probably to hide his infection at an early stage. If it actually worked as intended…”

“Mhm, then our lad here won’t look as he is now. The forest is...alive it appears. Did you notice anything out of the ordinary when you were keeping a lookout?” Medivac asked.

“No, it was simply quiet. I didn’t sense anything strange while you were checking on her. Perhaps whatever manner of evil lurking within hasn’t noticed us.” Radiant replied.

“But something did cause one of our own to go missing in the forest,” Medivac replied thoughtfully.

“How can you lose track of someone? Especially in a group! Sigh…what about her? If what the Musician said is true, then the trauma this woman suffered was most likely a few hours ago. I doubt any other locals will welcome us if they see her or the boy.”

“What happened to her is unforgivable. I cannot condone the murder of a baby. Still, we should try to ascertain the truth for ourselves. To give birth to a monster...”

“Perhaps we should find this well and see the truth for ourselves,” Radiant said with an hardened expression on her face.

“Radiant, try and see if you can coax her out of her mania. It’d be best if we can get her side of the story. Hmm…this is troubling. We have much to do and little time. Our immediate priority is to find our missing person. We will need to link up with the others eventually.”

Radiant set the girl down on the ground carefully. “You’re asking more questions?”

Medivac nodded. “Just a few more. I’m aware we short on time, especially pertaining to one of ours going missing. We may need to split up.”

Radiant was silent. She already knew that the Medivac was already making plans to stay behind. Perhaps he’ll try talking to the Chicken Lady by himself. Perhaps he wanted to investigate the well himself or both.

“You want me to look for our missing man with the others.” Radiant stated bluntly.

Medivac nodded. “Your speed will cover a lot of ground. Your senses are stronger than most and that will keep the others out of danger. Hopefully.” Medivac strove forward towards the Musician.

“Musician, you’ve been a great help. Do you know where this well is? Was it by the burnt house? If you want some more help, perhaps we can talk to the Chicken Lady about your beloved one.”

ACTION:
Radiant attempts to get the woman to talk. She begins by inquiring about her house, her husband, and finally, her baby. She sees the woman still holding onto the silver key for dear life and makes a note of it.

(I know this is several actions but I'm writing the ACTION this way so we don't go back and forth over 3 failures to get the woman to talk)

Arknights: The Dark Woods (PaulHaynek & LiverisGood)

@PaulHaynek

Radiant’s felt aghast at the horrible appearance of the boy. She had never seen a person in such a bad shape who was still able to walk. Such an appearance sent chills down her spine. Was this the ultimate fate of those who could not manage their Originum infection? No, that could not be true. This had to be unnatural. In her years of working on Terra, escorting Medivac, this was the first time she'd seen someone in this advance of a stage.

Radiant found herself gripping the arms of the catatonic woman, as if to reassure herself. “Medivac, what’s your diagnosis on this boy? I’ve never seen someone in such a horrible state. It’s almost as if they are falling apart, literally. Have you had any cases resembling this?” Radiant whispered with great concern.

The old doctor shook his head. “I’ve seen my share of near terminal cases. But what I’m looking at here, it’s miraculous how the lad is alive. This boy is in no condition to look after this woman.”

“On that I agree. Perhaps we can carry her to the main village. Come to think of it, maybe the others would know the way?” Radiant replied.

Medivac nodded. “That’s an option for now but we still need information. I’m not sure if this lad can give us reliable information. He appears…regressive but he’s eager. Did you catch that part about the forest? How no one approaches it?”

Radiant scowled angrily. “Yea, the forest. I’m not the superstitious type but it is the place where one of our own went missing. We just came out of the forest too. To think it could’ve been us.”

“Let’s talk to the boy and see if we can get a better picture of what’s going on here,” Medivac replied.

Medivac approached the boy and maintained a safe distance. He did not want to get to close to the boy, as the last thing he wanted to do was startle him.

“His infection may have accelerated rapidly with what appears to be a lack of support from his parents. Most definitely, this boy is in an abusive relationship. Never mind his appearance, the state of his violin is another story on its own. Saving someone in such a state, would it be mercy instead to let them pass on? What is the best way to help this boy?” Medivac thought to himself. To see a child in such deplorable condition...

“Lad, what’s your name? My team are here to help the locals and that includes you. Can you tell us a bit more about yourself? How you became like this? Where are the other locals? Perhaps you can tell us a bit more about the forest and your beloved.”

“Hey!” Radiant interjected, “If you live around here, then maybe you know this gal I’m carrying? You know a spot where we can leave her safely behind? Her home burnt down."

Arknights: The Dark Woods (ENDED)

Radiant rubbed her nose. "Hey Medivac, that house earlier kind of reeked badly of chickens didn't it? It's as if there's chickens being held in there in massive numbers. I grew up in a farm and let me tell you, the smell never gets that strong. That's gotta be a lot of chickens inside."

"If that's what you're experience tells you, I shudder to think what inside might looked like," Medivac quipped, stopping at the tractor. As soon as they arrived, a scared and raspy male voice greeted them. "I-it's not my f-fault! I know it doesn't s-sound, t-too great... My v-violin... it's, it's a bit... broken. I w-on't play a-anymore... S-sorry... Um, sir and ma'am? H-have you b-been in that hut? The Chicken Lady's h-hut? You're not afraid of h-her? Y-you're b-brave!"

The person was still under the tractor, his features hidden. "And... H-have you seen h-her? The Pretty Lady? S-she's... the most beautiful lady in the w-world! I w-watch her through the cracks in the window. S-she ch-changes when I watch her... g-gets more beautiful. I p-play for her... I want her to be h-happy... Because s-she doesn't seem to be... The Chicken L-lady locked her in that r-room... She... she keeps her there! She envies her! She won't allow anyone to s-see her... E-even me! I t-tried to r-r-release her... But the Chicken Lady! She ch-chased me off! S-she always does!"

Medivac knelt down and placed a firm hand on the young man's shoulder. "Sir, I am Medivac from the Haynek Institute and I am here to help. In order to do that, I require your assistance. Now, I want you to take deep breaths, ok? Deep breathes. Breathe in, breathe out. Good, good. Are you feeling a bit better? Calmed your nerves? Are you hurt anywhere? What is your name? Do you live close by?"

Radiant glanced back at the house and turned her attention to the young man. From what the young man said, it appeared that two people were inside the house and one of them may have been held inside against her will. Judging by the looks of this poor lad, this Chicken Lady seemed to be unpleasant. Very unpleasant. Still, perhaps this Chicken Lady had a good reason to keep this Pretty Lady locked in her room?

I hate to jump to conclusions but more often than not, the ones keeping someone locked up are tend to be on the wrong she thought to herself.

Radiant flexed her right arm at the young man. "Good sir, I assure you we are the two bravest individuals you'll see today," she said trying to reassure the young man. "Can you tell us more about this Chicken Lady and Pretty Lady? Were you kicked out trying to play a song for someone dear to you?"

Medivac stood up after the young man calmed himself a bit and pulled Radiant aside. "Remember, we still have to look for a missing operator. That is priority. Then we need to link up with the others and perform our mission. What concerning now is that it looks like we can't just leave the girl inside the house. This...Chicken Lady seems problematic. Perhaps we can convince the young man to take the girl in. We can double back here if time permits," he said with a whisper.

Arknights: The Dark Woods (ENDED)

"Ah! Wisp, wait! Be careful!" Wu and Ibon sprinted after Will-O-Wisp towards the two houses in the northern outskirts of Riventor. They soon got to the house that reeked of chickens only to find two people there knocking on its front door.

Meanwhile, Medivac had knocked on the house's door with Radiant carrying the mad woman clutching a key. The door was unanswered when a Vulpo girl arrived and met them. "Wisp, hold on! We shouldn't separate!" A male Feline with a shield followed after her alongside a Liberi girl.

"Ah, sorry about this, Mister and Miss. We're just..." Wu was about to apologize to Radiant and Medivac when he realized they didn't exactly look like the locals. In fact, they were familiar to him. "Wait a second, you're Haynek Institure Operators. Yeah, you're part of the research operation." He smile was wide. "Thank goodness, there are more survivors. Err, who's that girl you're carrying?"

Radiant was delighted at the sight of some familiar faces. There were other Haynek operators that survived that freak storm! "Oh man, you guys are a sight for sore eyes! It's good to know that others survived that freak storm! Me and Medivac were the only ones who bailed out of Raven Two. Didn't see anyone else jump off. As for the girl, we found her like this on that burned house over there," Radiant gestured with the flick of her head.

The woman Radiant carried continued her mantra. "Destroy the fire... Destroy the fire... Destroy the fire... Destroy the fire... Destroy the fire... Destroy the fire..."

"Ah don't mind her. Just a bit of trauma. Aha ha ha...We're trying to find a place for her to stay, better than leaving her out alone. There's someone inside this house but they haven't answered out knocks. Didn't we also see someone else leave the house Medivac?"" Radiant chuckled nervously.

The old gentleman nodded. "Yes, I believe I saw the figure run towards the tractors. Perhaps we can go ask them to let us in? But more pressingly, have you met anyone else from the Institute?"

"...W-Where's Dragonheart?" Ibon said as she searched around for the Operator. Indeed, it appeared that Will-O-Wisp's landing partner was suddenly missing.

"Damn it! Damn it! DAMN IT! Not again!" Wu furiously kicked some dirt. "This is why we shouldn't separate!"

"Calm yourself Wu! They shouldn't be far. You were all together just recently correct? Then they shouldn't be too far. Double back and search the area," Medivac said calmly.

"What will you two be doing in the meantime? Aren't you going to help us search?" Ibon asked.

"We will," Medivac replied. "But as you can see, we have a civilian to take care of. Once she's in safe hands, we'll join you. Radiant, the master of this house does not appear to want to speak to us. Let's see if they can be helpful,"he motioned towards the tractors.

"Sure thing."

"Then a talk is in order. Wu, Ibon, and Will-o-Wisp, let's meet back at this location, say within half an hour or so? We'll be right behind you shortly."

And so Radiant and Medivac headed towards the boy hiding beneath the ruined tractor.

Arknights: The Dark Woods (ENDED)

I'll control him for the time being.

Arknights: The Dark Woods (ENDED)

@PaulHaynek

North Riventor

After confirming her surroundings presented no danger to them, Radiant made her way back to Medivac. As the woman continued her mad mantra, she knelt in front of the woman to observe. Rocking herself back and forth, it appeared her body was shrinking away. Her hands gripped tightly around a key, so tightly that she a trickle of blood dripped down her hands. The woman’s gaze focused only at her hands.

Radiant stood up and sighed. “Yea, I’ll probably be holding my key like that if my house burned down. She looks catatonic Medivac, you have a plan for nut cases like this?”

Medivac shook his head and glared briefly at Radiant. “Please have a bit of tact for a woman who has lost everything.” Nut case? Seriously? Medivac avoided eye contact as he stood, looking up at the burnt building. “I’m not a psychiatrist. I can’t help her. Luckily, the building doesn’t seem terribly unstable. In a situation like this, it would be easier to help them by doing our mission. We should move on." He figured that at this point, focusing on one individual person would not be as product as completing their task. If any sort of general peace was restored professionals could arrive to focus on the less physically dangerous tasks that they were here for.

Radiant chuckled at her admonishment. “Yea yea, sorry for the lack of tack. I’ll remember it next time. As for where we should go, there was another house I saw not far from here.” Radiant looked back at the catatonic woman. “We could bring her too and leave her with her neighbors. Just leaving her here don’t feel right.”

“I’m shocked, you do say some sensible things from time to time. Very well, bring her along. I trust your oni strength will be enough to carry her?” Medivac replied.

“Shouldn’t be an issue,” Radiant said with a grin. She approached the woman and placed her arms under her knees and around her back and lifted her up. The woman curled up like a clam and held her hands very closely to her chest. "Destroy the fire... Destroy the fire... Destroy the fire... Destroy the fire... Destroy the fire... Destroy the fire..."

"No struggling? Huh, you're more cooperative than I thought miss."

Further beyond, on the other side of the burned house was a much larger house. The faint sound of a chicken's clucks could be heard from it. A very strong odor of poultry and chickens and droppings emanated from it. The two Operators could hear the bawks and the clucks of the chickens apparently living there.

*SLAM*

A door swung open and out came a small boy with a violin followed by an angry Kuranta woman who yelled at the former. The boy fled from the mansion and hid below a ruined farm tractor nearby. The woman did not chase and instead, went back into the house.

Medivac and Radiant were too far from the commotion though to see anyone in detail though. “Seems like someone is throwing a tantrum,” Radiant quipped, “Looks like a farmstead. Let’s drop her off and see if we can gather any information here!”

Medivac nodded in agreement. He took the lead and Radiant followed close behind. Finally at the house’s door. Medivac firmly knocked at the door three times.

Arknights: The Dark Woods (ENDED)

@PaulHaynek

TinyKiwi is dropping out. I'm still in and I'll be taking control of his character for the time being.

A post should be up within the hour, or two.

Arknights: The Dark Woods (ENDED)

Radiant brushed off the leaves and branches hanging onto her head on shoulders. She began to unfasten the parachute straps, turning her head in the direction of Medivac. “Hey Medivac, you holding up? That was quite a turbulent fall wasn’t it? You aren’t hurt anywhere right? Wouldn’t want you to break a bone on your fall and pretend nothing happened.”

Medivac. Radiant had undertaken several operations with him in the past. It was of course, a professional relationship. Medivac’s expertise lied in working in places where lots of people gathered, providing relief for places like mobile cities, clinics, refuge camps, and disaster zones. As a combat operator, Radiant ensured the safety of Medivac’s team.

She had seen his work firsthand. Over several operations, she came to the conclusion that Medivac was a stubborn man, steadfast in his ideals. That old man held a heart of gold. Always selfless. Always willing to make the sacrifice for the greater good to the point where his own well being didn’t matter. It bordered on fanatical. If the position to be a Saint of Karlan was opened, Radiant had no doubts he’d be perfect for the job. But this desire to protect others to the point where his own safety came second, now that was something she took issue with. How would you continue to protect others if you just threw yourself over and over to the fire? Why did he appear to be so callous over his own life?

She wondered at times how Medivac came to be this way. But she decided not to delve into Medivac’s past. We all have our own demons she remembered thinking to herself. Perhaps this is the answer he came up with.

“Hey come on Medivac! You saw that those houses earlier right? We should check there first, then see if we can make our way to the main village! If there are survivors from the crash, that’s probably where they will head towards too!”

Medivac stood slowly as he stretched and brushed away the debris. "I'm fine kid, Let's get a move on yea?" He unstrapped the ballistic shield from the backpack it had been hanging off. He was wearing his normal gear, a kevlar vest coupled with shoulder and kneepads hidden behind the knee length black leather coat that was a hell of a lot heavier than it looked. He slid a small chip out of a reinforced pocket, sliding it home into the metal frame that surrounded the back of his head. He winced as the HUD blinked into life just outside of his natural field of view. "Exactly what I was thinking, projected crash site paired with what I myself would do places them in that area. Then again my tech is old, so no guarantee on any of that." He grumbled as he leaned heavily on his right leg and began moving.

Radiant was a face Medivac remembered, he remembered all the operators who he thought might provide a problem in the field. It was nothing against her as a person though, not by far.. he just worried a lot. He worried for everybody on his team, and right now it took everything he had not to try and sprint in the direction of the falling VTOL. He would make sure, like he always did, that Radiant got out of this alive. As the burnt house came into direct view, the small map hidden away in the corner of his vision updated from a rough blueprint to display the buildings in sight, and their vague condition. He made a beeline for the woman as soon as he saw her, motioning for Radiant to keep an eye out. One woman, alone and mumbling to herself, it could mean more than just an injured civilian. "Ma'am, are you alright? Let's move you away from that building in case something tries to collapse alright?" His voice was loud but smooth, cutting through the din with a calm and practiced tone that was reminiscent of a doctor instead of a soldier.

Radiant watched as Medivac attended to the woman. She's a gibbering mess, she thought to herself. Best let the doctor handle it and calm her down. Radiant then turned her attention to the surrounding area, her left hand resting on the hilt of her blade, ready to unsheathe it at a moment's notice.

Arknights: The Dark Woods (ENDED)

deleted

Arknights: The Dark Woods (ENDED)

Looking forward to this!